James Pyles Paints a Picture of a Segregationist Apostle Paul

Here's an amusing dialogue I had with James Pyles over at Gene's blog:






James:  Eventually, there were Gentile-only “ekklesia” groups established by Paul

Peter:  Oh, really? Did they hang “Gentiles Only” signs out front? Where’s your evidence for this?

James:  Culturally, it might have almost been like that, but I’ll flesh out my ideas more fully in tomorrow’s “morning meditation”.

Peter:  I did read your blog post from today to see how you substantiate your assertion that Paul encouraged the gentiles to essentially put up signs saying “Gentiles Only”. You wrote:

“Chances are, the “Messianic” Jews lived in a Jewish section of Rome, apart from the Gentile disciples. Chances are, there were a thousand other cultural, ethnic, lifestyle and halalaic differences between the Jews and Gentiles that, while they were held together in their faith in the Messiah, they were also separated in these many other ways. Why do you think Paul had to write “neither Jew nor Greek” to other churches as we see in Galatians 3:28?”

So your evidence is “chances are.” And your “argument” is riddled with contradictions such as the following:

“…’Messianic’ Jews lived in a Jewish section of Rome apart from the Gentile disciples.”

AND

“…the friction between Jewish and non-Jewish disciples was evident [in combined synagogues]…”

So you’re saying that they were separate (“apart”) and yet combined (as in the case of the Roman congregation which you acknowledge). This is a blatant contradiction.

If Paul felt that mixed congregations were such a problem, why didn’t he articulate this problem and warn against it when he addressed mixed congregations?

You believe in a Paul who was either too afraid or too confused to issue a warning/instruction when a situation demanded that he take action.

I believe in a Paul who was bold and wise and who issued warnings when necessary and provided all necessary instruction for daily practice. Note that Paul told the gentiles to put into practice everything they observed in him. He didn’t issue any qualifications. He told it like it was. He tells gentiles to stop acting like gentiles, calls them “former” gentiles, explains that they are covenantal partners, members of the nation of Israel.

I also believe in an Apostle Peter who tells the gentiles that they need to remain strong in their faith as members of a holy nation (1 Peter 2) even when gentiles ask them why they no longer participate in pagan culture (1 Peter 4).

These men were bold and wise and they told the gentiles everything they needed to know about identity and practice.